Score: 0
Cavity Stability (Tap to Purge)
Time: 90
Rotate Device

Please rotate your device to landscape mode.

About Prism Path

Split beams through prisms and lenses in this free online optics game about refraction, reflection and light for physics class.

Prism Path is an optics and laser refraction game that simulates light propagation across precision optical breadboards. Players align mirrors, dispersion prisms, beam splitters and convex lenses to guide coherent white laser light through complex geometric circuits. The core game mechanics illustrate Snell's law of refraction, chromatic dispersion, total internal reflection and photoelectric photon detection.

When white laser light enters a dispersion prism, the shorter violet and blue wavelengths experience a higher refractive index than longer red wavelengths according to Cauchy's dispersion equation. This separates polychromatic light into distinct spectral beams. Forty-five degree planar mirrors exploit total internal reflection to redirect rays with near zero absorption. Dichroic mirrors leverage thin-film dielectric coatings to reflect specific target bands while transmitting others. Convex condenser lenses focus parallel rays to concentrate photon flux density, demonstrating how optical power density scales to overcome obscuring contaminants.

Optical engineering underpins modern telecommunications, biomedical diagnostics and astronomical discovery. Dense wavelength division multiplexing transmits terabits of internet data over optical fibers using prism-like gratings. Flow cytometers sort single cells using laser scatter and fluorescence detectors. By experimenting with refractive angles and spectral routing, players build an intuitive grasp of how light behaves when moving between dielectric media.

Key Science Concepts

What You'll Learn

Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College

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How to play

  1. Rotate Elements Click or tap optical breadboard tiles to rotate mirrors and prisms into alignment.
  2. Disperse Wavelengths Direct white laser rays into dispersion prisms to separate red, green and blue light.
  3. Focus & Burn Dust Route rays through convex lenses to intensify photon lux and burn opaque dust obstacles.
  4. Match Photo-Detectors Route each colored ray into its matching narrowband detector on the perimeter.
  5. Launch Combos Power multiple detectors simultaneously to trigger massive multi-point launch combos.
  6. Stabilize Cavity Keep detectors powered before stability decays or tap the HUD gauge for an emergency purge.

Frequently asked questions

Is Prism Path free to play?
Yes. Prism Path is completely free to play in your browser. There is no download, install or account needed.
What grade level is Prism Path for?
Prism Path is designed for Middle School, High School, College students and works well as a classroom activity or homework.
Does Prism Path work on phones and tablets?
Yes. Prism Path runs in any modern browser on desktop computers, Chromebooks, tablets and phones in landscape mode.

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